On the Subject and Methodological Self-Determination of Philosophy in the System of Modern Knowledge: from Cognitive Philosophy to Cognitive Relativism

The article continues the contemporary controversy about the subject, methods, and place of philosophy in the knowledge system. In particular, it analyses some modern ideas about the relationship between philosophy and science, as well as the possibility of evaluating philosophical knowledge as unscientific. The author shows that often conclusions about the unscientific nature of philosophy base on erroneous attempts to identify modern philosophy with its concrete historical modifications that did not have signs of scientificity. Conclusions about the unscientific nature of philosophy lead to the widespread use of cognitive relativism and irrationalism. The article justifies that one of the possible ways to improve philosophy may be to emphasize its socio-axiological function and powerful critical potential.